Ursula & Friends

Tobias Picker — Old and Lost Rivers (performed by Ursula Oppens)
Charles Wuorinen — The Blue Bamboula (performed by Carl Patrick Bolleia)
Conlon Nancarrow — Two Canons for Ursula (performed by Han Chen)
John Corigliano — Winging It (performed by Matthew Griswold)
Elliott Carter — Two Diversions (performed by Steven Beck)
Joan Tower — Or Like a…an Engine (performed by Ice Wang)
Tania León — Mística (performed by Natasha Gwirceman)
Michael Stephen Brown — Twelve Blocks (performed by Ursula Oppens & Jerome Lowenthal)

The greatly influential pianist Ursula Oppenswill be fêted in an event entitled "Ursula and Friends" on Saturday afternoon, February 3, 2023, 3pm at Merkin Concert Hall. The performance will feature eight compositions written specifically for her, over a period of several decades, played by longtime colleagues and devoted students, including Carl Patrick Bolleia, Han Chen, Matthew Griswold, Steven Beck, Ice Wang, and Natasha Gwirceman. Ms. Oppens opens the concert with a rendition of Old and Lost Rivers by Tobias Picker, and will be joined by her life companion and collaborator Jerome Lowenthal for Twelve Blocks, composed for the couple by Michael Stephen Brown. The celebration also includes works by American luminaries Charles Wuorinen, Conlon Nancarrow, John Corigliano, Elliott Carter, Joan Tower, and Tania León.

About the Composers:

Tobias Picker, called by The Wall Street Journal "our finest composer for the lyric stage," is a prolific American composer, pianist, and conductor, who is well-known for his sweeping orchestral works.

Charles Wuorinen, founder of the Group for Contemporary Music, was an American composer, pianist, and conductor of contemporary classical music. He received both a Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur Award, and he continues to exert his far-reaching influence on generations of contemporary composers.

Best known for writing music for player piano, the avant-garde modernist Conlon Nancarrow created a large body of work while in self-imposed exile in Mexico. A recipient of a MacArthur Award, Nancarrow was a pioneer of pre-digital, formal music notation methods.

John Corigliano, an American contemporary classical composer, has written more than one hundred scores. He has won five Grammy Awards, the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, a Pulitzer Prize, and an Oscar.

Considered one of the most respected composers of the second half of the 20th century, Elliott Carter combined elements of European modernism and American "ultra-modernism" into a distinctive style with a personal harmonic and rhythmic language. He was twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

Joan Tower, who is a Grammy-winning contemporary American composer, concert pianist, conductor, and educator, has been lauded by The New Yorker as "one of the most successful woman composers of all time." She is a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Grawemeyer Award in Composition. Over the span of a sixty-year career, Ms. Tower has made lasting contributions to musical life in the U.S.

Pulitzer-Prize-winning Cuban-American composer, pianist, conductor, and educator, Tania León was named a recipient in 2022 of the 45th Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievements. She is recognized for her large-scale works as well as her chamber compositions.

Michael Stephen Brown, hailed by The New York Times as "one of the leading figures in the current renaissance of performer-composers," is a much-honored American classical pianist and composer who is also known for his prolific recording oeuvre.

About Ursula Oppens, piano

Ursula Oppens, a legend among American pianists, is widely admired particularly for her original and perceptive readings of new music, but also for her knowing interpretations of the standard repertoire. No other artist alive today has commissioned and premiered more new works for the piano that have entered the permanent repertoire.

A prolific and critically acclaimed recording artist with five Grammy nominations to her credit, Ms. Oppens is renowned for her cult classic The People United Will Never Be Defeated by the late iconoclastic composer Frederic Rzewski. That 1979 release, for the Vanguard label, marked her first Grammy nomination. In 2016 she put out a new recording of The People United Will Never Be Defeated, also nominated for a Grammy, and earlier Grammy nominations were for Winging It: Piano Music of John Corigliano; Oppens Plays Carter; a recording of the complete piano works of Elliott Carter for Cedille Records (also named a “Best of the Year” selection by The New York Times' long-time music critic Allan Kozinn); and Piano Music of Our Time featuring compositions by John Adams, Elliott Carter, Julius Hemphill, and Conlon Nancarrow for the Music and Arts label. Ms. Oppens recently added to her extensive discography by releasing Fantasy: Oppens plays Kaminsky in 2021 for the Cedille label. She also recorded Piano Songs, a collaboration with Meredith Monk, as well as a two-piano CD for Cedille Records devoted to Visions de l’Amen of Oliver Messiaen and Debussy’s En blanc et noir performed with pianist Jerome Lowenthal.

During the pandemic, Ms. Oppens has concertized both live and online. In May 2021 she was chosen to re-open the New York City Bargemusic series in person. Performing works by Chopin, Carter, and a newly composed piece entitled Friendship, by Frederic Rzewski, prompted Harry Rolnick of Concertonet to review in glowing terms:

"[in] her extraordinary one-hour concert last night…her fingers danced over the difficulties of Carter’s Caténaires with the same effortless elegance as she played five Chopin Nocturnes. And she gives her music the oomph, the bravado, the vivacity which they deserve…Her virtuosity goes hand in hand–literally–with her understanding. And yes, her attitude, her beatific smile after each work, her nuances that we in the audience are the important visitors, make a concert a thing of joy. But most important for this listener is that she can take the most supposedly recondite algorithmic composition and make it absolutely logical. Not logical philosophically or structurally, but with a logic of understanding. As possibly the world’s most accomplished extant of Frederic Rzewski, I am certain her performance of Rzewski’s Friendship was authoritative…Ms. Oppens creates the universe of great artists without judgments, only the obligation to offer her frequently ineffable artistry."
–May 22, 2021

In early 2019, Ms. Oppens performed a recital at Merkin Concert Hall for a celebration of her 75th birthday, inaugurating the Kaufman Music Center’s newest series, Only at Merkin with Terrance McKnight. Her program showcased all works written for her by Elliott Carter and John Corigliano, and gave the world premiere of a piano quintet by Laura Kaminsky—commissioned by the pianist for the occasion with production support from the Newburgh Institute for The Arts & Ideas—alongside the Cassatt String Quartet and Tobias Picker’s Ursula for solo piano, a birthday present for his dear friend and collaborator.
Of Ms. Oppens’ Merkin Hall concert, David Wright of New York Classical Review wrote on February 3, 2019:

"Merkin Concert Hall was packed Saturday night…for a celebration of the pianist’s 75th birthday on its exact date. Here one was especially aware of the quality of Oppens’ tone—full and projected even in the softest pianissimo, and capable of producing tremendous impact in forte chords without sounding pinched or banged. Her pedaling was unusually subtle for new-music interpretation, managing resonances and overlapping tones like an expert Chopin player."

Over the years, Ms. Oppens has premiered works by such leading composers as John Adams, Luciano Berio, William Bolcom, Anthony Braxton, Elliott Carter, John Corigliano, Anthony Davis, John Harbison, Julius Hemphill, David Hertzberg, Laura Kaminsky, Tania Leon, György Ligeti, Erik Lundborg, Witold Lutoslawski, Harold Meltzer, Meredith Monk, Conlon Nancarrow, Tobias Picker, Bernard Rands, Frederic Rzewski, Allen Shawn, Alvin Singleton, Joan Tower, Lois V Vierk, Amy Williams, Christian Wolff, Amnon Wolman, and Charles Wuorinen.

As an orchestral guest soloist, Ms. Oppens has performed with virtually all of the world’s major orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the American Composers Orchestra, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), and the orchestras of Chicago, Cleveland, San Francisco, and Milwaukee. Abroad, she has appeared with such ensembles as the Berlin Symphony, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Deutsche Symphonie, the Scottish BBC, and the London Philharmonic Orchestras. Ms. Oppens is also an avid chamber musician and has performed with the Arditti, Cassatt, JACK, Juilliard, and Pacifica quartets, among other chamber ensembles.

Ursula Oppens is a Distinguished Professor of Music at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City; she also joined the faculty of Mannes College, The New School, in fall 2017. In 2019, Ms. Oppens was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from The New England Conservatory. From 1994 through the end of the 2007-08 academic year she served as John Evans Distinguished Professor of Music at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. In addition, Ms. Oppens has served as a juror for many international competitions, such as the Bachauer, Busoni, Concert Artists Guild, Young Concert Artists, Young Pianists Foundation (Amsterdam), and Cincinnati Piano World Competition. Ms. Oppens lives in New York City.

http://www.colbertartists.com/ursula-oppens/

About Carl Patrick Bolleia, piano

Spending most of his childhood improvising piano fantasies based on songs by the latest pop culture sensations of the late '90s and 2000s, often times while playing upside down, it is a surprise that Carl Patrick Bolleia has amounted to anything more than a cameo on a canceled sitcom or a manager on the amateur wrestling circuit. However, despite his best efforts, he's been able to find himself at the vanguard of musical experimentation, with hands (get it!? ugh.) in a kaleidoscope of activities, ranging from collaborating with living composers, historical performance on period instruments, contemporary improvisation, a multitude of chamber music and large ensemble situations, sacred music, and of course the standard repertoire.

https://www.carlpatrickbolleia.com/

About Han Chen, piano

Pianist Han Chen has emerged among the new generation of concert pianists as a uniquely fearless performer in a wide variety of musical settings. Gold Medalist at the 2013 China International Piano Competition and a prizewinner at the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition, he has been praised by Gramophone as "impressively commanding and authoritative" and further cited by The New York Times for his "graceful touch," "rhythmic precision" and "hypnotic charm." Chen's virtuosity is enriched by a probing commitment to new and lesser-known works as well as the great cornerstones of the piano repertory. This vision is clearly evident in his four solo Naxos CDs focusing on Franz Liszt, Anton Rubinstein, Thomas Adès, and more recently, György Ligeti's Complete Piano Études. As soloist with orchestra, Chen’s appearances include the Calgary Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony, Lexington Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, National Taiwan Symphony, China Symphony and Xiamen Philharmonic. He made his Lincoln Center debut with Riverside Symphony at Alice Tully Hall in December 2022 performing Mozart's early masterwork, the Piano Concerto No. 9 "le Jeunehomme." Chen has performed as solo recitalist throughout Europe, North America, and China. In frequent demand as a chamber musician, Chen is a core member of Ensemble Échappé while regularly collaborating with The Metropolis Ensemble and other adventurous groups in performances in America and abroad. In 2021, Chen launched Migration Music, an ongoing series of interviews and performances featuring immigrant composers.

Han Chen has studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky, Wha Kyung Byun, and Ursula Oppens at The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, and CUNY Graduate Center. He is represented by Black Tea Music.

https://www.hanchenpiano.com/

About Matthew Griswold, piano

Self-taught through high school, award–winning concert pianist and composer, Matthew Griswold learned to play entirely by ear and memorized large-scale works and concerti by listening to recordings. He won First Prize in the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition, after initially being turned away with a request to return only after learning to read music.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClt6FrIRZzi8lVcB24zTq4A

About Steven Beck, piano

A New York concert by pianist Steven Beck was described as "exemplary" and "deeply satisfying" by Anthony Tommasini in The New York Times. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School, where his teachers were Seymour Lipkin, Peter Serkin, and Bruce Brubaker.

Mr. Beck made his concerto debut with the National Symphony Orchestra, and has toured Japan as soloist with the New York Symphonic Ensemble. His annual Christmas Eve performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations at Bargemusic has become a New York institution. He has also performed as soloist and chamber musician at Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, and Miller Theater, as well as on WNYC, and summer appearances have been at the Aspen Music Festival and Lincoln Center Out of Doors. He has performed as a musician with the New York City Ballet and the Mark Morris Dance Group, and as an orchestral musician he has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, the New York City Ballet Orchestra, and Orpheus.

Mr. Beck is an experienced performer of new music, having worked with Elliott Carter, Pierre Boulez, Henri Dutilleux, Charles Wuorinen, George Crumb, George Perle, and Fred Lerdahl. He is a member of the Knights, the Talea Ensemble, Quattro Mani, and the Da Capo Chamber Players. His discography includes George Walker’s piano sonatas on Bridge Records, and Elliott Carter’s Double Concerto on Albany Records. He is a Steinway Artist, and is on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, as well as the Colorado College Summer Music Festival and the Sewanee Music Center.

https://nyphil.org/about-us/artists/steven-beck

About Ice Wang, piano

Ice Wang is studying for a master's degree in piano performance at Mannes School of Music with Ms. Oppens. She has given performances at the Yun Song Concert Hall in Shenzhen, China, Slosberg Recital Hall and Anderson House in Boston, Tishman Auditorium, Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall, and Stiefel Hall in New York City. Ms. Wang has premiered works by Matthew Ricketts, Ania Vu, and Minjoo Kim with the Mannes Orchestra and MACE in 2023.

About Natasha Gwirceman, piano

New York City native Natasha Gwirceman is a soloist, collaborator, and teacher. She gave her recital debut at age twelve in Merkin Concert Hall and her concerto debut at age thirteen in Italy. She has won several competitions and performed in venues throughout Europe, as well as venues such as Carnegie Weill Recital Hall and Steinway Hall in New York.

As a performer, Natasha is deeply committed to chamber music and collaborates with musicians trained at schools such as Yale, Juilliard, and NEC. New music is a central part of her repertoire, and she regularly premiers works by contemporary composers. She has worked directly with prominent composers such as Tyshawn Sorey and Michael Gordon, and even performed in concerts for the contemporary music collective Bang on a Can. She believes that classical music must step outside of traditional concert halls to truly be accessible, and performs at schools, museums, hospitals, and retirement communities.

Natasha has held a private teaching studio since 2016. She was also awarded Oberlin’s Carol Nott Prize for outstanding continued study in piano pedagogy, and held positions as a teaching assistant and collaborative pianist at the Oberlin Community Music School from 2016-2020. Her teaching philosophy is built around enjoying music at all levels of playing and helping each student discover their own unique style, while also incorporating technical and theoretical knowledge. She also believes in using music to develop critical thinking skills and body awareness that extend to non-musical aspects of life. Natasha is trained in childhood pedagogy and works with students of all ages, ranging anywhere from complete beginners to conservatory level pianists.

Natasha completed her BM in piano and BA in mathematics at Oberlin College and Conservatory, and her MA in piano at Brooklyn College. Her main teachers have been Ursula Oppens, Angela Cheng, and Elena Leonova.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYJcoiUYDA2Z_3nWOpIKsGg

About Jerome Lowenthal, piano

Born in 1932, pianist Jerome Lowenthal continues to fascinate audiences with his combination of youthful intensity and eloquence born of life-experience. He is a virtuoso of the fingers and emotions.
Mr. Lowenthal made his New York Philharmonic debut in 1963, playing Bartok's Second Piano Concerto. Since then, he has performed virtually everywhere, from the Aleutians to Zagreb. He has appeared as soloist with celebrated conductors including Barenboim, Ozawa, Tilson Thomas, Temirkanov, and Slatkin, and with such giants of the past as Bernstein, Ormandy, Monteux, and Stokowski. Mr. Lowenthal has played sonatas with Itzhak Perlman; piano duos with Ronit Amir (his late wife), Carmel Lowenthal (his daughter), and Ursula Oppens; and quintets with the Lark, Avalon, and Brentano Quartets. He has recorded Two-Piano Music of Messiaen and Debussy with Oppens and Liszt's complete Annés De Pélerinage on a 3-CD set. Other recordings include concertos by Tchaikovsky and Liszt, solo works by Sinding and Bartók, and chamber music by Arensky and Taneyev.

Mr. Lowenthal studied in his native Philadelphia with Olga Samaroff-Stokowski, in New York with William Kapell and Edward Steuermann, and in Paris with Alfred Cortot, meanwhile traveling annually to Los Angeles for coachings with Artur Rubinstein. After winning prizes in three international competitions (Bolzano, Darmstadt, and Brussels), he moved to Jerusalem where he played, taught, and lectured for three years.

Teaching is an important part of Mr. Lowenthal's musical life, including 20 years at the Juilliard School and 42 summers at the Music Academy of the West. Mr. Lowenthal has worked with an extraordinary number of gifted pianists, whom he encourages to understand the music they play in a wide aesthetic and cultural perspective — and to project it with the freedom which that perspective allows.

https://www.juilliard.edu/music/faculty/lowenthal-jerome